GABRIEL HERNANDEZ

AUDIBLE WAX

AudibleWax

AUDIBLE WAX is a collection of vinyl records based on my tastes in music. Each record is older than I, each with their unique story. In essence, this collection functions as an abstract self-portrait of the music that de-fines me as an individual.

Michael JacksonOFF THE WALL, 1979

My fAtHER used to disc jockey back in the day, and by back in the day, I mean when being a disc jockey was starting to emerge in the mainstream. He would carry around one-hun-dred pound crates overflowing with records to each show he played. There were no such things as USB ports or hard drives. Things then were done the “old school” way, and that isn’t a bad thing.

The reason I’m even telling you this backstory is to explain the origins of this record. This record is old. Very old. Released in 1979, “Off the Wall” is what placed the legendary Michael Jackson in a superstar status that many can only dream of

achieving. As if he weren’t already accomplished with his success in The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson was merely getting started. This record was in one of those crates my father carried around back in the early eighties, hence the wear and tear around the edges and face of the cover. This is a common theme among the majority of the records in this collection. Many of them have seen action in the disco clubs that have transcended into myth.

As far as my relationship goes with this record, it was one of the very first albums I listened to as a young child. There was something so captivating about his voice. The way he consis-tently used those instantly recognizable ad-libs, the groove, and sound made Michael Jack-son one of my favorite artists as a young boy, and one of my favorite artists of all time.

Bob MarleyLEGEND, 1984

WHEN I tHINk of Bob Marley, my instant thought is copious amounts of contraband, an empty beach, and a good time. Maybe that’s just an awful ste-reotype I have engrained in my mind, but I believe there’s some truth to it.

My first experience with Bob Marley harks back to simpler times; the early 2000’s to be exact. My mother is a huge fan of Bob Marley. There’s some-thing about reggae that moves her. Undoubtedly a feeling. Music that we are the fondest to typically carry an emotion with them. In Bob Marley’s case, that emotion is relaxation. Not a worry in the world when classics like “Sun Is Shining”

and “Concrete Jungle” blend seamlessly into the atmosphere in which they are played.

“Legend” is a compilation album released in 1984 that contains 32 singles from various albums to that date. The title is confident but accurate. Bob Marley is indeed a legend in his own right. He paved the way for the development of reggae and popularized it for the masses. Not to mention it has spent 500 non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 album chart; the second longest run in history.

As for me, “Legend” served as the introduction to Bob Marley and introduced me to an entire-ly new world of music at a very young age. Formerly, this album belonged to my mother which she has had since the early nine-ties. It was a part of her record collection, and it found its way all of these decades later as a vital record in the development of my musical taste.

Daft PunkDISCOVERY, 2001

tHE copy of “Discovery” that I own is in mint condition. For those who don’t collect records, “mint” is used to describe the perfect quality the overall re-cord. “Mint” means no scuffs, no scratches on the wax itself, and it’s ideally still sealed. In my case, it is.

Let me give it to you straight. Daft Punk is one of my favorite electronic musicians of all time. Period. No questions asked. Their work in “Discovery” is what made me question my existence. Maybe it isn’t that serious. But I’m serious.

Released in 2001, “Discovery” is regarded as their magnum opus. While tracks like “One

More Time” and “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” domi-nated the airwaves in the early 2000’s, “Aerodynamic” and “Voyager” showcased the duo’s remarkable sampling abilities. Regarded as the pioneers of the “French Touch” movement, Daft Punk encapsulated the listeners of the new era. From this movement spawned French House classics like Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You,” Modjo’s “Lady (Hear Me Tonight),” and The Shapeshift-er’s “Lola’s Theme.”

Maybe you can tell that I’m a fan of the genre. But of course, there’s a reason. “Discovery” was one of the first electronic albums I’ve ever listened to, and the first vinyl album I collected. This album comes from my col-lection which I purchased from a local collector a few years ago. In hindsight, the album laid the foundation for what would be-come an obsession for the next few years of my life. Maybe you could say that I was “discover-ing” myself. Get it?

JourneyESCAPE, 1981

to BE brutally honest, there isn’t a single instance that I can remember where “Don’t Stop Believin’” was playing and I wasn’t singing my soul out. I was trying my hardest to become Steve Perry. To me, it is one of the greatest karaoke songs ever. When that song comes on, it’s karaoke time. It doesn’t matter where.

Hopefully, that puts things in perspective for you. I take my Journey very seriously. I would have to thank both parents this time around. They are the reason for my slight obsession. At a young age, they would jam to Journey, and I was caught in between the crossfire.

Released in 1981, “Escape” is the seventh studio album by Journey. It is the home to some of their most famous songs like “Who’s Crying Now” and “Open Arms.” The album stands as a true testament to Steve Perry’s explosive voice and Journey’s band power. “Escape” is cer-tified 9x platinum by the Re-cording Industry Association of America (RIAA for short) and sold over twelve million copies worldwide. It is the band’s most successful original album.

I remember seeing this album cover around quite often. The reason it left an imprint on my adolescent brain must be because of the stylization of “Escape” on the front cover. It’s stylized as “E5C4P3,” and my mind couldn’t process the numbers correctly. Either way, this album is regarded as one of the household favorites, and it undoubtedly laid the founda-tion for what would be a mas-sive rock obsession in the years to come.

AlphavilleSOUNDS LIKE A MELODY, 1984

tHE stoRy of Alphaville in the context of my upbringing is virtually unavoidable. To make a relatively long story shorter, “Forever Young” is my father’s anthem. No other song even comes close. That single fact alone is most likely why I heard this song on repeat for years. To be quite honest, I still haven’t left the grasp of Alphaville ten-odd years later.

“Sounds Like A Melody” is a single from their “Forever Young” debut album of the same year. “Sounds Like A Melody” has an interesting backstory. Alphaville was riding high on the success of their previous single, “Big In Japan,” and planned to release their

next single, “Forever Young.” However, that plan failed. Studio executives wanted to release a song in between the two singles, hence the origin of “Sounds Like A Melody.”

Alphaville wrote and recorded the song in two days. Impres-sive. But the group hated the song. So much so, that they avoided playing it in any live performances for over a decade. That kind of passion runs deep.

In hindsight, Alphaville acted as my introduction to the whole universe of 1980’s synthpop, and what a universe it is. From them, came bands like a-ha, Talk Talk, Tears for Fears, New Order, OMD, and Depeche Mode. Every band listed has played a profound role in the development of my musical tastes, and I have no issue with that.

U2THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE, 1984

It’s HARD to describe the emo-tion I feel when I listen to U2. I’m sure it sounds a bit exagger-ated, but I promise it isn’t.

In 1984, U2 had already taken the world by complete surprise. Their 1980 debut album, “Boy,” was a massive success and went platinum in multiple countries. Their sophomore effort, “Octo-ber” was another hit, and solid-ified their presence in the rock industry. “The Unforgettable Fire” was a departure from their previous sounds, as it was more experimental than commercial. The album was made in collabo-ration with Brian Eno and Dan-iel Lanois and featured a more abstract, ambient sound. Bono, the lead of U2, felt that the

band needed to be in a position to create something different, as “the innovation would suffer if we went down the standard rock route.”

Kudos to you, Bono.

Many bands fall into the trap of commercializing after initial success, minimizing their full potential for some short-term benefits.

Anywho, U2 is my mother’s obsession as much as it is mine. She’s the reason I was intro-duced to U2, and this album was the first I listened to. I was exposed to the more abstract U2 as opposed to the rock-heavy band everyone else knew. Maybe that’s why my apprecia-tion for them is so high. Regard-less, the album has been around for decades, and it has been in rotation for as long as I could remember.

Giorgio MoroderFROM HERE TO ETERNITY, 1977

If yoU say you love electronic music and have no idea who this person is, I highly suggest you reconsider your passions. It’s almost as blasphemous as asking, “What’s a Kraftwerk?” Maybe it’s a pet peeve of mine. For some reason, ignorance gets under my skin. Be educated if you’re going to speak about a topic.

I digress.

Giorgio Moroder is regarded as one of the pioneers of elec-tronic music and the “Father of Disco.” During the late 70’s and early 80’s, there was a surge in the popularity of genres like Euro and Italo Disco. With indi-viduals like Moroder, the begin-

nings of what would become the Italo Disco revolution was emerging.

This record comes from the infamous disc jockey crate. My father mixed all types of music back then, and tracks in “From Here to Eternity” were no exception. His arsenal of music was (and still is) impressive. Now and then, he puts together Euro Disco mixes and features music from Moroder. No doubt this is where the seed for my obsession with electronic music was planted.

“From Here to Eternity” wasn’t just a keeper for my father and me, it was the sound that defined an entire movement. It is listed in a variety of “Great-est” compilations, which go to show that even after all these decades, Moroder still leaves his imprint on music.

Duran DuranNOTORIOUS, 1986

My INtRoDUctIoN to Duran Duran came to be from their hit single “Notorious,” which would be the title of their al-bum of the same name. It’s hard to think of the 1980’s without a single reference to Duran Duran and the New Wave genre as a collective. So many prolific art-ists produced New Wave music. Artists like The Cure (one of my all-time favorite bands), The Police, Talking Heads, Spandau Ballet, The Go-Go’s, and the list can go on.

New Wave runs deep in my family. That is mostly in part to my father, who is obsessed with the majority of the bands just mentioned. I don’t think there is a time where I could recall a

moment where I haven’t heard at least one New Wave song throughout the day.

Duran Duran’s “Notorious” wasn’t the most popular song of the year, but it sure was catchy. Similar to what U2 experienced, Duran Duran was in a bit of a transition and the midst of a rough patch. The group had just come off of a world tour that left each member exhausted. But instead of rest, they pro-duced “Notorious,” and the strife followed. Creative differ-ences fueled the fire, and by the end of it all, Duran Duran had lost one of its members.

Not every band is perfect, some changes happen, and that’s perfectly okay. I still love you, Duran Duran.

JourneyGREATEST HITS, 1988

tHE oNLy BAND, group, or artist listed here twice, and for a reason. It says a lot when a band can already have a “Great-est Hits” compilation album merely nine years since their formation. This album is their best-selling release, having spent 452 weeks on the Bill-board 200 album chart. Let me repeat that. 452 weeks. The only other album to beat this record is Bob Marley’s “Legend,” which is mentioned on this list. This album was not only extremely popular during its release, but it has left a legacy for decades to come.

This album comes from the collection of my mother, who received it from her older sister

during the 90’s. Her sister had a vast collection of her own back in the day, which has only expanded since then. Last I re-member, she was pushing close to one-thousand records. That’s essentially a record store.

The point is, this album has seen quite a bit of action. Like many other records in this list, this one has been in heavy ro-tation for years. As a collective, we consistently jam to singles like, “Faithfully,” (the drum fills in the break get us every time) “Lights,” and “Wheel in the Sky.”

Journey has been one of the family favorites for years, and I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon.

The CureCLOSE TO ME, 1985

I sAvED the best for last. I’m not even sure how to introduce a band of this stature. Not just because of what they’ve done for the music industry, but for what they’ve done to me (un-knowingly). Let’s say that The Cure is my all-time favorite band. Ever. Period. No ques-tions asked. What Daft Punk is to electronic music, The Cure is to Alternative. Thankfully, I’m not the only individual passionate about The Cure, as they are widely accepted to be the greatest alternative band that ever existed. I have to agree with them.

“Close to Me” is the second and final single to their “The Head on the Door” album, which

released the same year. The sin-gle peaked at number 4 on the Irish charts, and other various rankings worldwide. “The Head on the Door” is said to be the album that defined what Alter-native should be. It acted more as a transitional piece, but there seems to be a common trend. Albums that break the mold of their predecessors are typically those that become the most successful. Admittedly, it’s a gigantic risk to change a win-ning formula, but if the recipe is made better, you just invented a new and improved formula.

The Cure played a vital role in the development of my musical tastes. First introduced to me by my father as an adolescent, The Cure captured my interest with their captivating sound. “Close to Me” was one of the first singles I heard from the band, and since then, my love for The Cure grew substantially. It was an upwards spiral. For decades, they remained the mu-sic industry’s best-kept secret, and it felt like the opening of Pandora’s Box; except this story had a happy ending.

to My pARENts.

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